Cover For visual artist Cao Hoang Long, an art project must remain close to human experience
For visual artist Cao Hoang Long, an art project must remain close to human experience
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For visual artist Cao Hoang Long, each project must go beyond surface beauty. What matters to him is the essence of feeling, making his approach to art intuitive, rooted in genuine emotion and human connection.
Cao Hoang Long is a visual artist and the founder of CABE Studio, a creative space where images go beyond their aesthetic purpose to shape experiences and define brand identities. For him, beauty is never just skin-deep; it should carry vitality, emotion, and character.
To Cao Hoang Long, creating art is less about chasing beauty than it is about shaping ideas. Beauty, in his eyes, is a starting point, a gateway to deeper emotions and reflections. His artistic vision is a refined interplay between instinct and intellect, personal intuition and communicative intent. Long resists the idea of art as mere spectacle, and avoids fixed formulas. He places his faith in intuition, while remaining clear-eyed in every aesthetic decision because beauty, to hold meaning, must come with soul, with context, and with emotional weight.
Above I think visual art is simply what you see and it brings a certain emotion to the viewer
I think visual art is simply what you see and it brings a certain emotion to the viewer
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Cao Hoang Long, what shapes your approach to visual art?
I think visual art is simply what you see and what stirs a feeling in you. My role is to create that emotion. I observe life closely, not just to gather material, but to absorb its rhythm and spirit. From that, I start building concepts and shaping imagery. What matters most to me is crafting a space, whether visual or spiritual, that invites the viewer in and lets them drift through the work in their own way. There’s no fixed message. It’s about creating room for personal experience.
You have a very interesting perspective on connecting with your audience. Can you share more about this?
I’ve always wanted my work to reach beyond my own voice. Art, I feel, shouldn’t speak in a language that’s too specific or closed-off. That’s why I spend time observing, listening, and finding those shared threads, the things we’ve all thought about, experienced, or felt. I look for the familiar and work that into the piece. Even when people don’t know one another, they can still sense something kindred in the work, a point of quiet recognition.
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Do you think visual art needs to be accessible to everyone?
It doesn’t need to be understood in a logical sense, but it must resonate. A lot of people think they need special knowledge to appreciate art, but I believe connection begins with emotion, with something the work recalls, something that feels known.
When a work of art stirs something familiar, a memory, a moment, a feeling someone once held, even if they can’t explain it, they can still be moved. And I believe that moment of connection is what opens the door to a true relationship between the viewer and the work.
What is your biggest goal when creating?
I simply want people to feel joy and empathy. That, to me, is the essence of my artistic practice.
Above I wouldn’t see AI as a threat, but as a chance
I wouldn’t see AI as a threat, but as a chance
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What about AI? How do you see it in creative work?
I don’t believe AI will replace humans. For me, it’s a powerful tool, and more importantly, it can become an extension of my thinking when used with care. I even have a dream that one day, AI could be “like me”, that I could train it to think, feel, and respond as I would when approaching a creative task.
If that becomes possible, I wouldn’t see AI as a threat, but as a chance. I’d have another version of myself, someone to work with, create with, and evolve alongside. It would feel like doubling the strength, not dividing it.
Visual art is, at its core, what one sees and the emotion it stirs in the viewer.
How do you envision the future of Vietnam’s creative industry?
We are not behind, we simply lack the platforms for young artists to express themselves fully. In truth, I see immense potential among them both in technique and in aesthetic sensibility. The key lies in helping them articulate their identities with clarity and consistency. Once that’s in place, I believe Vietnamese art can claim its rightful place on the global creative map.
The “illogical” approach that Cao Hoang Long embraces is anything but distant; in fact, it speaks directly to the viewer’s emotions. His openness, sense of connection, and desire to share Vietnamese art with the world through the lens of the familiar are what make the creative journey of “Ca Be” both compelling and full of promise.
Article published from the original feature in Tatler Vietnam, May 2025 issue
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